Swedish State Secretary of Culture Karin Svanborg-Sjovall, center, speaks next to Swedish Ambassador to South Korea Karl-Olof Andersson, left, during an event in Seoul, Thursday, marking the 30th anniversary of Sweden's diplomatic presence in South Korea, Thursday. Korea Times photo by Kim Hyun-bin

Karin Svanborg-Sjovall, the State Secretary of Culture of Sweden, celebrated the strengthening of cultural ties between Korea and Sweden at an event marking the 30th anniversary of the country's diplomatic presence in South Korea. The event was attended by distinguished guests from both nations.

The state secretary extended her congratulations to the Swedish Embassy on the 30-year milestone.

"It's no secret that Sweden has long valued its relations with South Korea and it's become increasingly clear, not at least for me this week, that in this visit we have a shared and growing interest in each other's cultures and friendship," she said.

According to the embassy, the residence, built in the early 1990s, was established to foster deeper relations between the two nations. The building reflects Swedish principles of democracy, transparency and openness, both in its purpose and design.

Swedish Ambassador to South Korea Karl-Olof Andersson gives a speech during an event in Seoul, Thursday, marking the 30th anniversary of Sweden's diplomatic presence in South Korea. Korea Times photo by Kim Hyun-bin

"The house is built using bricks reused from a school in the southern part of South Korea that was being taken down, reflecting our commitment to sustainability," Swedish Ambassador to Korea Karl-Olof Andersson emphasized.

Svanborg-Sjovall praised the combination of South Korea's organizational efficiency and its cultural vibrancy.

"South Korea and Seoul seem to be absolutely sublimely well organized but I think possibly it's the combination of the well-organized systems in place and the high work ethics but also a sense of courage and of the ability to improvise that has laid the foundation for one of the main reasons why I came here, which is to study the cultural and creative sector where South Korea has really turned into a global champion," she said.

"If you combine that also with the very impressive art scene that we've seen so far and very distinguished fine arts expressions, I think we're all pretty much in awe with the ability to actually manage this very bold spectrum."

Svanborg-Sjovall also mentioned the delegation accompanying her, which included academics, professionals from the arts sector, and government officials.

"I'm here with a distinguished delegation of guests from Sweden consisting of academics and professionals within the professional arts work and also some government officials. And we are, of course, all here to learn but I think we all also came here with the ambition to be able to come home with some results trying to actually deepen and strengthen or establish new cooperations of different kinds."